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The purpose of this paper is to explore mass affluent customer perceptions of the service quality delivered by personal advisors and banks, and the contributions of personal advisors and banks to customer satisfaction; and also to analyse the strength of the relationship between customer satisfaction with personal advisors and banks.

A survey composed of items designed to mirror service quality practices used in the mass affluent segment was administered to customers of a major Swedish bank. Statistical analyses of the responses were performed.

Four service quality dimensions are identified as salient to customer satisfaction: interpersonal behaviour, knowledge, service portfolio, and trust. The relative importance of these dimensions depends on whether customer satisfaction with the personal advisor or the bank is focused. Moreover, the analysis indicates a double “rubbing off” effect where customer satisfaction with the personal advisor influences customer satisfaction with the bank and vice versa.

The unexplored separation of service quality provided by the bank and the personal advisor is central to perceived service quality. The study focuses on customer satisfaction in the mass affluent segment, which is an unexplored context different from retail banking.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the qualities of a small town centre and how such centres can enhance their attractiveness.

A convenience sampling procedure was used to administer a web survey to visitors of a small Swedish town. Importance-performance analysis and statistical methods were used to analyse quality attributes and quality dimensions. Correlation analysis was run to measure the relationship between centre attractiveness and shopping loyalty.

The variety of retail outlets is what is most valued by visitors to a small town centre, followed by the provision of events and non-commercial activities and the design and maintenance of the physical environment in the centre. Surprisingly, the interpersonal behaviour has less impact on the perceived attractiveness than the aforementioned quality dimensions. Visitors’ shopping loyalty is significantly related to the perceived attractiveness.

The study is a one-off study based upon a small Swedish town, but it is indicative of global shopping trends.

Implications for town centre management to enhance the attractiveness of the business district of a small town.

Traditional town centres have been props for the surrounding societies, providing anscillary services beside retailing. When retail moves to out-of-town retail locations, this could lead to the erosion of interpersonal communications and central services for citizens.

Pioneering research on small Swedish town shopping.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the possible usefulness of a combined multi‐attribute and Kano model in analysing how service quality is perceived by mass affluent bank customers. More precisely, to identify quality dimensions, attributes, and items in terms of taken‐for‐granteds, proportionals, delighters, and neutrals.

Using a survey, the authors measured how mass affluent customers in one region in a major Swedish bank perceived service quality. Responses were analysed with reference to both multi‐attribute service quality and Kano models.

The combined model seems to provide some guidance regarding how service quality is perceived by bank customers in the mass affluent segment. The significant number of neutral items reveals potentially wasted resources. The finding of only one delighter item reveals that mass affluent customers are difficult to please. However, substantial heterogeneity exists in customer perceptions of the service quality items investigated.

This exploratory study examines only one bank in one region in one country, implying a need for additional research applying this combined model and other methods to investigate private banking in the mass affluent segment.

The significant number of neutrals implies that banks might be more efficient if they avoided spending resources on such items. The conspicuous spread in conceptions of service quality items suggests that bank managers and personal bankers may benefit from co‐creating services with mass affluent customers.

Banks are intermediates on financial markets. Improved and customized service quality could make mass affluent customers inclined to invest their resources in ways that promote economic growth.

In addition to traditional measurement models, the Kano model may contribute to service quality assessment in private banking.